By: Noah Nunez
General Reporter
The yearly “Harvest Festival” hosted by the university’s Office of Sustainability on Thursday, Oct. 22 was held in celebration of the university’s successful harvest of fall fruits and vegetables.
Part of the event was run by history secondary education major James Clinton, a junior who also leads the campus food recovery service, discussing how the harvest went and where the food produced goes.
“We grew some pumpkins, tomatoes, peppers, okra, all sorts of things, and so were just celebrating a successful season,” Clinton said. “Those vegetables all go to local churches and food banks and organizations that provide good food to those in need in our local community.”
The event itself took place near the community garden on campus, where fruits and vegetables surrounded craft activities to help create a zen atmosphere for enjoying the season.
One of the activities available to engage with was garland making, which was hosted by environmental and marine science major Gabriella Paterza, a junior, to provide a simple craft that could be taken home without making a mess.
“I always wanted to craft with the stuff I have at home but never really know what to do, so having something that’s like here is the craft, sit down and do it right now, helps me kind of be grounded and actually participate in the stuff I like to do,” Paterza said.
While the event itself was in part a celebration of the previous harvest, it was also a time of reflection for those in the community garden as they take their skills and apply them to future seasons and harvests.
“Every season is a learning curve and learning experience. There are some things that this season didn’t really work out, and that’s okay because we are able to apply that knowledge next year,” Clinton said.
The Office of Sustainability does not just work to plant fruits and vegetables, though they are always looking for volunteers for that.
The organization itself hosts multiple other events to get students involved in sustainability and preventing waste.
Celebrations and events such as the “Harvest Festival” are used by the Office of Sustainability recycling coordinator, Heather Stearns, to shine a light on during events like this, which garner more visibility.
“I think visibility-wise, not just with the garden but trying to shed light on some of the programming and things that we do on campus, I think, is really important for the community to know,” Stearns said.
Events like this exist purely to help with raising awareness however rather than using their time to put on display why what they are doing is so important, the Office of Sustainability has taken a different approach, allowing their work to speak for itself.
The people visiting this event were not looking for an explosive or exciting night.
They wanted something relaxing almost therapeutic to do as they sat back and celebrated another year of gardening.
